University of Salford

About: University of Salford is a education organization based out in Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 13049 authors who have published 22957 publications receiving 537330 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Salford Manchester & The University of Salford Manchester.

Primary antibody deficiency and diagnostic delay

Abstract: Aims: To assess the occurrence of diagnostic delay in primary antibody deficiency in the period 1989–2002, since a similar study in 1989, and to assess the impact of UK national guidelines communicated in 1995. Methods: A retrospective case note review was performed of 89 consecutive patients with antibody deficiency referred to a regional referral centre for clinical immunology in north west England and north Wales. The delay in diagnosis and the estimated resulting morbidity in terms of infections were assessed. Results: Fifty six of the 89 patients experienced delay in diagnosis. The overall median delay was 2 years (mean, 4.4), resulting in substantial morbidity (equivalent to two major infections and one minor infection). This shows a moderate improvement since the previous study in 1989 and since the introduction of UK national guidelines in 1995. Respiratory infections are the most frequent presenting infections, and respiratory physicians the most common source of referral. Conclusions: There is still considerable delay in the diagnosis of primary antibody deficiency, but the data suggest an improvement in practice since the previous study in 1989 and the distribution of national guidelines in 1995.

The role of temperate bacteriophages in bacterial infection.

Abstract: Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. There are an estimated 10(31) phage on the planet, making them the most abundant form of life. We are rapidly approaching the centenary of their identification, and yet still have only a limited understanding of their role in the ecology and evolution of bacterial populations. Temperate prophage carriage is often associated with increased bacterial virulence. The rise in use of technologies, such as genome sequencing and transcriptomics, has highlighted more subtle ways in which prophages contribute to pathogenicity. This review discusses the current knowledge of the multifaceted effects that phage can exert on their hosts and how this may contribute to bacterial adaptation during infection.

Targeting cognitive-behaviour therapy to patients' implicit model of psoriasis: Results from a patient preference controlled trial

Abstract: Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a cognitive-behavioral psoriasis symptom management programme (PSMP) on patient-held perceptions about their condition and patients' use of self-reported coping strategies, and to examine the influence of alexithymia scores at induction on response to treatment. Design: Age- and sex-matched case-controlled prospective study. Methods: A total of 40 patients with psoriasis were treated in the PSMP, and an age- and sex-matched cohort received standard pharmacological care only. The Illness Perception Questionnaire was used to assess patients' beliefs about illness identity, time-line, consequences, cure/control and perceptions of the cause of their psoriasis. Participants also completed the COPE questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: Results suggested that at 6-month follow-up, patients who chose the PSMP showed significant reductions in illness identity (the frequency and severity of symptoms that patients associate with their condition), the strength of belief in severity of consequences of their illness, and their attributions for emotional causes of their psoriasis. Perceptions about the anticipated course of the disease (time-line), its cure or controllability, ideas about physical agents of causation, and coping strategies did not differ between PSMP patients or controls at 6-week or 6-month follow-up. Alexithymia had no effect on response to treatment. Regression analyses demonstrated the importance of both participation in the PSMP and demographic/clinical history variables in accounting for significant variance in illness-perception-change scores. Conclusion: The findings are generally supportive of multivariate models of intervention, but the lack of a demonstrated effect of the intervention on coping may have implications for both the assessment of coping in psoriasis and the nature of psychological interventions proposed for its management.

Integrating climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation in the global ocean

Abstract: The impacts of climate change and the socioecological challenges they present are ubiquitous and increasingly severe. Practical efforts to operationalize climate-responsive design and management in the global network of marine protected areas (MPAs) are required to ensure long-term effectiveness for safeguarding marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here, we review progress in integrating climate change adaptation into MPA design and management and provide eight recommendations to expedite this process. Climate-smart management objectives should become the default for all protected areas, and made into an explicit international policy target. Furthermore, incentives to use more dynamic management tools would increase the climate change responsiveness of the MPA network as a whole. Given ongoing negotiations on international conservation targets, now is the ideal time to proactively reform management of the global seascape for the dynamic climate-biodiversity reality.